


Happy Little Accidents

by Lhugy_for_short



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious, Secret Photos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:14:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23211568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lhugy_for_short/pseuds/Lhugy_for_short
Summary: Gladio's pretty sure Prompto is hiding something on his phone. Why else would literally everyone else make such a big deal about himnotsnooping? But he's a good friend, and a gentlemen, and he'd never break that trust.... Would he?
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum
Comments: 59
Kudos: 140





	1. No Swiping

**Author's Note:**

> This comes from a request by Highwind Redfield on Twitter! They asked for "the guys finding Prompto's sexy pictures of Gladio" and that kinda turned into...Gladio finding sexy pictures of himself...eventually. Maybe. Who knows! Let's just see where this story goes, shall we? I'm pretty certain there'll be lots of smut along the way :D 
> 
> Thanks, Bob Ross, for the title, and thanks, Swiper, for not swiping (yet)

“Hey, Prom. Lemme see your phone for a sec.” 

It wasn’t exactly a difficult request, was it? He’d borrowed Noct and Iggy’s phones a few times already since the unfortunate accident that left him without one of his own. So what was the big deal? There was no need for Prompto to suddenly get so defensive, or to throw him such a scandalized look over his screen. 

“ _ What? _ Why?” the blond asked far too quickly.

Gladio rolled his eyes. “So I can check in on Iris. It’s getting late.” 

“Dude,” Prompto said, his voice taking on a distinctive whine. “Can’t you ask Noct? I’m right in the middle of this level.” 

He could, of course, ask Noct. But that would mean putting on his boots again and walking down the hall to their other hotel room. And, considering the mood Ignis had been in by the time they’d reached Taelpar, he wasn’t about to risk walking in on  _ that _ scenario. 

Skirting the topic for now, he folded his arms over his chest and hoped he sounded decently threatening. “Did you forget whose fault this is in the first place? If it wasn’t for you luring that damn catoblepas over to our camp--” 

“Oh, em,  _ gee.  _ I totally said I was sorry!”

“--And  _ then _ pissing it off with the wrong mushrooms--”

“Hey, they all looked the same!”

“--And then  _ I  _ had to jump in to save your ass, which made me drop my phone out of my pocket--” 

“Gladio,  _ gods, _ I get it!”

“Look. It coulda been  _ you _ crushed under that damn thing’s foot, y’know that? My phone saved your life, kid, you owe me one call, at least.”

Hands flying up in exasperation, Prompto finally gave in. He kicked his feet - in bright yellow chocobo-print socks - to the floor and launched his phone at the cushion next to where Gladio sat. “Fine! I’m sorry, you win!”

“Cool, thanks. Where’re you goin’?” 

“Shower!” Was it just Gladio, or was the kid’s face a brighter shade of pink than usual? “Don’t close my game - and  _ don’t  _ go through my stuff.” 

“Glaives’ honor,” he grinned, holding his fist over his chest in a mock salute.

“Gladi- _ ooo _ , I’m serious!” 

“Relax, Prom. You know I’m a saint.” The flash of indignity to those freckled cheeks told him Prompto didn’t buy it for a second. “Whatever. You gotta learn to trust people.”

“No. Swiping,” he said again, deadly serious, before turning and storming off to the bathroom. A few moments later, Gladio heard the shower curtain being yanked back, and the sound of water began hitting the tiles. Good. That would buy him plenty of time for a call. 

Iris picked up on the third ring. There was a cautious edge to her voice as she asked, “Who is this?”

Always on the alert. Father had taught her well. “At ease, piglet, it’s me”

“G-Gladdy?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m calling from a borrowed phone.”

Immediately, her tone shifted to concern again. “What? Why? Where’s your phone? Are you hurt?” 

“Chill, chill,” he laughed. Getting up from the sofa, he padded leisurely across the carpet to the windows overlooking the parking lot. “Everything’s fine. You’re just gonna have to use Noct’s number for a while if you need to get ahold of me, okay? At least ‘til I can get a new one.”

“...Yeah, okay. If you’re sure you’re safe….” 

Chuckling, Gladio leaned against the sill. “I’m the big brother, piglet. I’m supposed to be the one worrying about you.” 

“I can worry, too. It doesn’t help that you’re such an idiot sometimes.” 

“An idiot who can hold his own in a fight. I’m fine, kiddo. You been working on those moves I showed you, yeah?” 

“I am.” Silence fell on the other end. Gladio ran his fingers back through his hair, and listened to the distant sound of the shower still running down the hall. Finally, Iris’ voice returned, tinny through the speaker next to his ear. “Who’s phone are you using, anyway? The number’s a weird area code.” 

“Oh. Uh, it’s Prompto’s.” 

“...Really? Pom-pom just, like, trusted you with it?” 

A shrug his sister couldn’t see. “I didn’t give him much choice, I guess. Why do you care?” 

“O-oh. Nothing. Just, um.” The pause was awkward, as if Iris were searching hard for delicate words. “You probably shouldn’t go looking through his pics or anything.”

_ Seriously?  _ Gladio huffed out a sigh. “You, too, kiddo? Why does everyone seem to think I’m some kinda photo-stalking creep?” 

(And anyway, what in the name of Eos was so bad on Prom’s phone that he wasn’t supposed to see it?)

“Nothing. Forget I said anything.” Iris laughed - definitely weird - and Gladio could hear her shuffling around on the other end of the line. “A-anyway, I promised to play Mogcraft with Talcott soon, so, um.”

“Yeah, yeah. Have fun, piglet.”

“You too, butt brain.” 

“Call you tomorrow.” 

“‘Kay. And Gladio?”

“Yep?”

“Promise me you’ll be nice to him? Prompto, I mean. He’s...super sweet, y’know?” 

_ O...kay.  _ He was beginning to feel like he was missing something important in this conversation. “Right. Yeah, sure. He’s a good kid.” 

“Thanks,” she replied, relief in her tone. A much more cheery  _ night, bro! _ before the line went quiet, and Gladio was left staring out the window more confused than he’d been in a long time. 

_ Prompto’s phone _ . It weighed in his fist, a clunky, awkward model a few years out of date. The screen was smaller than his own had been, and it was chipped in places where the kid had probably fumbled it more than once.  _ Heh _ . Prom could be a total klutz when he wasn’t paying attention. Or when he got excited. Or, Gladio chuckled, when he was too focused on taking photos to keep up with his own feet. 

Photos.  _ Hmm. _

His curiosity was undeniably piqued. Had it just been Prompto, he might have brushed it off as the kid just being weird again. But then there was Iris…. If even  _ she  _ had to warn him to keep his nose to himself, then there was definitely something fishy going on. What could Prompto possibly have to hide? Embarrassing selfies?  _ Porn? _ Just what was he holding out on? 

A quick glance over his shoulder told him the bathroom door was still shut tight. He could risk a quick peak, just to see, and then have the phone back on the coffee table before Prompto even finished drying his hair. No harm in that, right? 

But his thumb continued to hover just above the screen, where Prompto’s wallpaper (a closeup of a bunch of cactuars they’d run into back in Leide) stared at him in judgement. Going through someone’s phone was a dick move, he knew, even if that someone was a good friend. Maybe it was just some weird anime porn (not like Prompto hid  _ that _ hobby very well), but there was more at stake. Trust, for one, and his own reputation for another. 

He sighed. Pressed the power button to turn off the screen, and tossed Prompto’s phone onto the blond’s bed before his curiosity could overpower his morals. Then he retreated to his own bed, and was just tugging off his socks when the door to the bathroom opened at last. 

A trail of steam followed Prompto down the hall. His bangs still clung to his forehead, and he kept one hand on the towel around his waist for good measure as he cleared his throat. “Hey, dude. Everything, uh, still alright in here?” 

Snatching up a magazine from his duffel bag, Gladio shrugged. “Yeah, ‘s fine. Why wouldn’t it be?” 

“Oh, yeah. Of course.” Yet Prompto still didn’t move. Drops of water pattered to the carpet as he looked from Gladio, to the phone on the other bed, and back to Gladio. “Did you, um, talk to Iris?” 

“Mm-hmm.” 

“Cool. Cool.” Even over the top of his magazine, Gladio could see the way Prompto shifted on his feet, nerves clearly getting the best of him.  _ Gods, _ he was so obvious sometimes. 

“Listen,” he sighed after another long moment of silence. Crossing his legs, he set his magazine aside to focus on his half-naked friend instead. “I didn’t go through your phone. I promised I wouldn’t, and I’m actually pretty hurt you’d think that low of me.”

“G-Gladio, I….” 

“It’s fine. Whatever you have on there, it’s safe from me.” He waited a few heartbeats for Prompto to answer, but the blond seemed unable to do more than flush red right down to his bare, freckled chest.  _ Be nice to him _ , Iris had said. Nice? Gladio sighed again. “And...I’m not actually mad at you for the catoblepas thing, either. It was an accident, and, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re safe.” 

Prompto blushed impossibly harder at that. He nearly dropped his towel in an attempt to cover up his burning cheeks. “ _ Oh.  _ T-thank you.”

“But, uh….”

“Y-yeah?”

“I think I might have maybe, accidentally, kinda closed that game you were playing.” 

“... _ Gladio! You jerk!” _

_ There  _ he was. Gladio couldn’t resist a smirk as Prompto flew at him, throwing his weight into a half-assed assault at his chest. It was adorable, not unlike when his little sister had tried to rough house with him back home, despite being an absolute pipsqueak in comparison. 

Case in point, he easily caught one of Prom’s fists mid-air. Grabbed for the other as, with a howl of surprise, the blond’s momentum tumbled them both backwards onto the mattress. 

“I was at the boss stage!” Prompto whined dramatically. Light as he was, his knees effectively held Gladio pinned, and his still-wet skin kept slipping out of his grasp. “Why do you hate me, dude? It’s gonna take  _ hours _ to get back to that stage!”

Gladio laughed as another blow swiped at his shoulder, and retaliated by grabbing Prompto’s waist just above the edge of the towel. A few well-placed tickles had the blond switching to defense mode. “Oh, boo hoo. Guess you’ve got something to do on the road tomorrow, huh?”

“You...big bully! When I get muscles, I’m gonna....!  _ S-Shit _ \--!!”

It...was an accident, really. Prom had shifted away too fast, and Gladio hadn’t let go in time. In the wake of his shout, the bath towel fluttered off of bare hips to pool around Gladio’s thighs instead. Leaving Prompto exposed, frozen,  _ mortified.  _ He threw his hands to his lap, but the damage was already done. Gladio had seen  _ everything.  _

“... _ U-uh.” _

“Oh.” 

“F-fuck….” 

“Prompto, you--”

“ _ Shut up! Don’t!” _

“Hey, chill out. It’s cool, we’re both guys, I get it--”

“ _ SHUT. UP.”  _

“It happens, okay? It doesn’t mean--”

_ “ARGH!” _

In a flash, he was gone, bounding off down the hall naked to most likely lock himself in the bathroom for the rest of eternity. Gladio, for all his big talk, didn’t follow him. How could he? What could he say, now that he’d seen Prompto’s boner on full display like that? A boner he’d gotten  _ from horsing around on the bed with him _ . 

How could he face him, especially when he had exactly the same problem himself? 

Groaning, Gladio threw a hand to his own traitorous crotch, and sunk as deep as he could into the mattress. Fine night this was turning out to be. Now Prompto not only thought he was a creep who swiped through photos, but also would probably never have the guts to talk to him again. 

This...needed fixing. But it was going to have to wait - he risked a peak at his lap - at least another two minutes. 


	2. Message Read

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dualhorn in the room is only growing more obvious the more Gladio tries to ignore it. The physical side of things he can deal with. But this...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having too much fun with this story, please stop me. Honestly, I tend to write Gladio as a die hard romantic who always knows what to say and how to sweep Prompto off his feet. So it's nice to write him a little clueless for once :D Don't worry, it'll work out! ...After a few more chapters of blue balls for everyone heheh

When had it started? 

Gladio racked his brain for some kind of pinpoint. A single moment he could pluck out of his memories as the beginning of it all. Was it that time he and Prompto had sparred off duty at the Crownsguard training hall? No. Definitely before that. The night Noct had dragged them both out to the arcade, and he'd watched Prom destroy every high score he came up against? No, still earlier. 

A long, defeated sigh left him. Maybe the signs had been there all along, and he'd just been too distracted to see. Sure, he'd checked Prom out a few times - he checked _lots_ of people out, big deal - but he didn't think it had meant…. Well, he hadn't realized this was _different_. 

Another look down at his lap left him feeling more guilty than ever. The boner he'd popped when a half-naked Prompto'd tackled him onto the bed had, fortunately, flagged. But the implications were written all too clearly in the hormones still coursing through his veins. 

_He was attracted to Prompto_. His friend. Noct's friend. The kid who still hadn't come out of the bathroom where he'd locked himself for the better part of an hour now. Was he embarrassed? Did he know even less than Gladio what to say next? 

"All because of these damn phones," he groaned aloud to the silence of the empty hotel room. If his hadn't been broken, if he hadn't made Prompto lend him his, if Iris hadn't mentioned the stupid pictures again, maybe none of this would have happened. It would've been another normal, uneventful night halfway across the country from home. 

Except…that wasn't what Gladio wanted, either. He dragged his fingers back through his hair for the dozenth time in as many minutes, and steeled himself to make a choice. The sooner he coaxed Prompto out of the bathroom, the better. 

Yet somehow, he had a feeling that was going to be easier said than done. 

Snatching up the kid’s phone, he made his way down the short hall to the only door at the end of it. The light was still on, he could see its glow peaking out just above the worn edge of the carpet. Yet it was silent on the other side, not even a peep or a sniffle that might indicate Prompto was even still there. “Hey. It’s, uh, it’s me,” Gladio said as gently as he could through the thin door. “You gonna stay in there all night?”

No answer. He could almost imagine Prompto sitting in there alone, knees up to his chin and face buried in his arms in humiliation. The thought left Gladio’s gut twisting in the worst way. “Prom? Prompto, c’mon, at least open the door so we can talk.” 

“...Talk about what?” 

_Finally_. Hope had Gladio shifting closer to the door, his fingers automatically reaching for the knob. “About whatever you want, Prom. You just gotta unlock the door for me.”

The voice on the other side grew even more dejected. “Why? What’s the point?” There was a sound, heavy like the back of a head falling against the door. A very _hard_ head, Gladio rolled his eyes.

“The _point_ is to not make this weird, bird brain.”

“Well! It’s already weird!”

“It won’t be if you just come out and talk to me.” 

“I... _can’t_ ,” Prompto whined, and Gladio was fairly certain he had his cheek pressed to the door now, slurring his words. “It...it won’t go away.”

Huh? Was he talking about his…? 

_Oooh_. 

Gladio shifted once as a bolt of realization shot straight between his own legs. Great. So much for waiting _that_ one out. “U-uh, that’s fine. It’s fine, Prom. Are you dressed?”

A pause. Then, shyly, “No?” 

He did nothing so undignified as to bite down on his fist, but the temptation was there. “Okay. Then, uh. We can keep talking like this, no problem. I’ll sit here,” he explained, as he slid down the wall and folded his massive legs beneath him on the carpet. “And you sit there. See? It’s fine.” 

More quiet sniffling for a long moment. He could hear Prompto’s weight shifting on the other side of the door, maybe moving closer, maybe further away. “You...really don’t hate me?” 

“Why, in the name of the Six, would I possibly hate you?” 

“Because.” 

Gladio rolled his eyes again. He adored Prompto, he really did. But sometimes he wished he could get his hands around that scrawny neck and strangle him. Just a little. 

His dick throbbed again, most unhelpfully. 

“Look, Prom,” he sighed. “There’s nothing wrong with being attracted to someone. It’s natural, just hormones and shit, you know that. Chicks, guys, doesn’t matter. The body wants what it wants.”

“Even...a friend?” 

Okay, the sudden lump in his throat was new. He swallowed back a groan, and dropped his hand to his lap, rubbing at his steadily growing erection in an attempt to ease the ache there. “Uh. Yeah, why not? We’re together all the time, don’t get much privacy to, y’know.” A low breath left him. He let his eyes fall closed, his palm grinding down harder on instinct. “Nothing wrong with wanting a little attention.” 

Prompto, it seemed, remained obliviious. “I guess…. Gladio?” 

It was hard to ignore the sound of his name on those lips. “Yeah, Prom?” 

“Have you ever, um. Been in love?” 

His hand stopped. Froze, even, in place above the bulge in the front of his jeans. Blood came trickling slowly back into this brain, one drop of cold realization at a time. Gladio swallowed. Turned to face the door again as if he could see through it if he stared hard enough. “...What?”

“Forget it,” Prompto replied, far too quickly to set Gladio at ease. “It’s stupid. I’m, um, gonna get dressed now.” 

“Oh. Yeah, cool.”

“Thanks...for talking.” 

“Sure. No problem.” 

Movement on the other side of the door, bare feet squeaking on wet tiles. Yet still Gladio didn’t budge. Prompto’s voice was ringing in his head like the tolling of a bell. _Love._

_Love…._

This...was suddenly out of his field of expertise. 

That night, Prompto slept with his back to the room. Gladio watched him for a long while over the pages of his book, under the pretense of reading. Watched how his back rose and fell with his soft breaths. Watched the way his hair splayed out across the pillow, and how his bare shoulders occasionally trembled from the cold or maybe his dreams. 

_Love._

Either way, Gladio found himself setting aside his unread book with a sigh, and instead padding across the small room to the other bed. In a way, it reminded him of tucking Iris in when she was still small. A bedtime story, then soft blankets pulled up to her chin. Probably a goodnight kiss to the forehead if she didn’t ruin it by giggling too much. 

_Love._

But this was different, too. Prompto wasn’t a child, and he didn’t _need_ to be taken care of. Gladio knew that, and yet here he was, sliding the sheets up over him anyway. His knuckles brushed the smooth, freckled skin of Prompto’s arm, lingered there for a half-second longer than usual before he carefully pulled away again. 

_Love._

Releasing the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, he retreated back to his own bed and switched off the reading light. _Fuck_ , he thought, eyes straining in the dark up at the emply ceiling. _Fuuuuuck._

His dick, this time, was silent. It was his pounding chest that kept him awake well into the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suggestions on what you wanna see next? Questions about the story? Incoherent keyboard mashing?  
> Comments are the lifeblood of any fic :)


	3. Mixed Signals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio decides to get some advice on his new problem. But Ignis, as usual, can see right through him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeey a third chapter! Some surprising (or maybe not to surprising) twists in this one, and a very confused Gladio finds at least one way to channel his jumbled emotions :) 
> 
> For the record, I love Ignis to pieces and only call him a bitch when he's right lol

“Love?” Ignis did that thing with his glasses, perching them lower down on his nose as if that would somehow clarify the question. “Did I hear you correctly, Gladio?” 

This was probably a mistake. Gladio could have asked anyone - Noct, or that hunter they’d passed on the road that morning, or even a damn anak - but he’d elected to go with his gut. Iggy had seemed like the obvious first choice at first. After all, when  _ didn’t  _ he have an answer for something? 

But evidently, Gladio had conveniently forgotten just what a  _ bitch _ he could be sometimes. 

“Yeah, you did,” he grumbled over the low crackling of the campfire. “I’m asking for advice, not judgement, alright?”

“Advice. On...love?” Those piercing green eyes were still watching him, unblinking, and Gladio was forced to turn away before the flush of his skin could be attributed to anything other than the fire light. 

“Yes. _ ” _

“Apologies. Forgive me, Gladio, but I’m having trouble following just what this is about.” He set down his after-dinner coffee, instead folding his hands over his lap like some kind of damn therapist. “Have you met someone? Is it serious?” 

“No, it’s not….”  _ It’s not me.  _ His chest tightened, that weird lump coming back to his throat. He cleared it out as quietly as he could. “I think there’s someone who...might have feelings for me. I can’t tell how serious it is. Was kinda hoping maybe you could shed some light on the situation.” 

Ignis hummed thoughtfully in answer. “I see. Well, I suppose it depends entirely on whether this person’s feelings are reciprocated.”

Half in annoyance, and half because his chest was clenching up again, Gladio glared. .

“Suit yourself. If I were to speak generally, then, I would remind you that love has unique manifestations in all of us. For some, it’s an attraction born of time spent together, of long years sowing the seeds of a relationship, and thus the feelings come naturally. Much like the dawn rising over those mountains. One day, you wake up next to that person and realize it’s not simply been a dream.” 

Amber eyes narrowed. “You been practicing that a while?” 

“You have no idea.” 

Leaning back in his chair, Gladio released a sigh up at the expanse of stars overhead. The evening was fading fast, the sunset already reduced to a sliver of pale orange light out beyond the flat mountains of Cleigne. Above, and without the light of the moon to illuminate the drifting clouds, things seemed...dark. Empty. 

“This is different, Igs. We haven’t known each other that long, kinda feels like this came outta nowhere, y’know?” 

“Mmh.” 

“It’d be one thing if it was just sex,” he continued, finding the words flowing faster now that he was honing in on the source. “Do you know how easy that’d be? Fix all this with a quick fuck, get over it, move on. But how am I supposed to do that with these, uh….” 

“Feelings?” 

“Exactly. I can’t even figure out where they came from, but now they won’t leave me alone. Nothing helps. What the hell am I supposed to do?” 

A chuckle, one that startled Gladio rudely from his thoughts, and sent heat flaring to his face. Had he said something funny? Had he said too much? 

“In that case,” Ignis smiled, shaking his head. “The answer seems quite obvious. Have you considered asking this mystery admirer out to dinner?” 

“You…. Ignis, are you  _ kidding  _ me?” He stabbed his finger in his friend’s direction a little more forcefully than was probably necessary. “We’re in the middle of transporting our fugitive prince across the continent, and you’re suggesting I go on a  _ date _ ?” 

Ignis, still smiling, merely lifted his shoulders. “That’s precisely what I’m suggesting.” 

“Wh…. Bu…. How am I supposed to do that?!” 

“Well, tomorrow we’ll be passing through Old Lestallum. I suppose we could afford another night in a in proper room before heading north. And you could offer to treat him to a meal at the Crow’s Nest.” 

“Yeah, right. Like a seedy diner’s any kind of a place for a….” Gladio stopped, his eyes growing wide and jaw clenching with sudden realization. The words turned over in his brain, processing slowly, one by one, until he was absolutely certain he hadn’t misheard them. “No. Ignis,  _ no. _ ”

“Am I wrong?” 

“Stop.”

“For the record, I am not judging you.” When Ignis smiled again, there was something knowing in it, something victorious. “But honestly, you two are both terribly transparent.”

Whatever else he wanted to say, Gladio didn’t stick around to hear the rest. He stormed off to the tent without another word, leaving his beer and unfinished plate of stew abandoned next to his camping chair. So what? Let Ignis clean it up. That’s what he got for being such a smart ass. 

Grumbling to himself, Gladio pulled off his jacket, tossed his belt into the corner of the tent, and sunk into his sleeping bag almost fully dressed. 

\-----

Ignis was just finishing up the dishes when Noctis and Prompto returned to camp. Between them, they had a bucket full of decent fish, and more mushrooms than the blond could properly carry in his pockets, his arms, and two plastic bags hanging from his wrists combined. 

The prince waved once in greeting as they dumped their bounty into the shared cooler. “Hey, Specs. Save anything for us?” 

“Of course, Highness. There’s a pot just there, on the stove.” He nodded his head, noting to himself the way Noct’s tongue flicked out over his lips at the thought. “If you’ll wait just a moment, I’ll have these bowls dried for you.”

“Oh, lemme help,” Prompto chimed in. Already reaching for the towel, he made a quick pass with his eyes over the rest of the camp. That, too, Ignis filed away for later. “Hey, uh. Where’s Gladio?” 

“He didn’t go out looking for us, did he?” Noct laughed. “Without his phone, that meathead’ll end up lost back in Alstor swamp.” 

Passing the first of the bowls to Prompto, Ignis smiled. “Hardly. I believe he’s in the tent. Actually….” Green eyes caught suddenly nervous blues, and held them long after Prompto’s freckled cheeks began to fill with color. “I think he was waiting for you, Prompto. He did mention something about needing to speak with you alone.” 

As expected, that did the trick. Prompto flushed with surprise, barely managing to shove the soapy bowl and towel into Noct’s hands before he could drop either. “O-oh? Then I, um, better go see him. I-I mean, check on him! Uhhh, be right back!” 

He was gone in a blur of yellow and pink, leaving Noctis groaning and Ignis hiding a chuckle into his gloved palm. 

\-----

Gladio heard the tent flaps opening, but he forced himself not to turn around. He was already in a bad enough mood, and if Ignis thought he could just come in here and talk him out of it, then he had another thing--

“...Gladio…?” 

He almost, very nearly, gave himself away. The tone of Prompto’s voice - so shy and hopeful at the same time - felt oddly like a trap. If he fell into it, if he faced him now, he risked once again letting the wrong thing slip. There’d be no turning back after that. Gladio wasn’t prepared to risk ruining everything yet, especially not when he still had no idea what the hell it was he really wanted. 

So he remained quiet, squeezing his eyes shut tight in an attempt to pretend he was fast asleep. 

Prompto, however, seemed to take the silence as an invitation. Careful footsteps moved hesitantly across the small space of the tent. Paused long enough for him to untie his boots, and then the bed rolls were shifting as he settled down at Gladio’s back. 

There was a long moment, filled with silence and the occasional sound of soft, steady breaths. His own chest, in contrast, thudded wildly. 

“Um. Are you...awake? Ignis said you wanted to talk to me about something.” 

Falling quiet again, Prompto waited several more ticks for a response that didn’t come. 

“Okay. Alright, here goes. I…have something to tell you, too. Maybe while you’re asleep is the best chance I’ll get.” His voice was barely a whisper, so low even Gladio had to strain to hear him. “Last night, what happened in the hotel. I’m really sorry. You don’t know how long I’ve tried so hard to hide this from you, but it’s getting harder and harder, Gladio…. I don’t even know when I started feeling like this, but it’s dangerous. I can’t...stop thinking about you. Even when you’re right next to me, it’s like all I can imagine is being even closer. 

“I guess,” he continued sullenly. “What I want to tell you, is that I’ve never felt like this before, with anyone. I tried talking to Noct about it. And, well, you’ll probably get mad, but I kinda asked Iris for advice, too. I thought maybe they could talk me out of falling for you of something.... Heh. Pretty dumb plan, right?” 

Prompto shifted onto his knees, and leaned closer to Gladio’s still unmoving body. Several heartbeats passed between them. Gladio was tempted - so tempted - to roll over, to break the moment and do, well. He wasn’t sure  _ what _ he wanted to do. Pull Prompto against him? Push him away? Indecision crippled him, and he waited, breathing in tense, shallow waves, until he began to feel the first hesitant touch of warm fingers in the dark. 

_ O-oh.  _ This was...new. They started at his shoulder, stroking just along the edge of his Crownsguad issue tank. Traced slowly, shyly at first over the feathers of his tattoo, down to the hard ridges of his biceps as they followed lines of dark ink. A strangely familiar ritual.  _ Almost,  _ Gladio thought,  _ like Prompto had done this before.  _

But the way Prompto touched him was as sensual as it was suspicious. Distractingly so, in fact, until Gladio could focus on little else. That thumb ghosted like a kiss over his forearm. Swept in a bold arc through the hair there, and Gladio’s skin prickled deliciously all the way up to his nape. 

Nothing could have prepared him for the sudden flash of a camera phone in the heated silence. 

The  _ fuck?!  _ Gladio whipped around fast enough to send the culprit toppling backwards onto his ass. “ _ Holy--!” _

“Prompto!” 

“ _ S-shit!” _

In the dark, the panicked blond scrambled to his feet. Abandoning his shoes at the foot of the bedroll where he’d dropped them, he tore barefoot from the tent as if his life depended on getting out of arm’s reach. Something clattered to the ground behind him, but he didn’t even stop to look back.

The figurative dust settled. In the wake of his outburst, Gladio’s head slowly cooled. What in the name of the Six had that been about? On one hand, he felt like he should be furious at Prompto, and yet….

Fuck it, he thought, tossing off the blankets. If he was going to figure this all out, it was now or never.

So what if he didn’t know what he wanted? Maybe that was okay. He knew, at the very least, that he didn’t want Prompto to regret everything he’d said. He knew, also, that he wanted to hear more of it. Wanted to look Prompto in the eye as he said those things, and maybe, just maybe, find the words in his own heart to express what he felt, too. 

It was still cool outside, but he didn’t bother grabbing his jacket on the way out of the tent. Ignis and Noct both looked up as he strode past. Noct opened his mouth, an accusation already written on his face, but Ignis stilled him. Pointed wordlessly in the direction of the road, where the Regalia was parked a short distance away. Gladio nodded once, then took off after Prompto into the dark of night. 

Demons be damned, this was far more important. 

\-----

Locks of yellow came into view beneath the streetlight. Prompto was sitting in the backseat of the car, knees up to his chin and arms wrapped around them, blocking his face from view. Gladio sent his sword glittering back to the armiger as he approached. 

“Knock knock,” he said, rapping his knuckles softly against the glass of the rear window. Blue eyes, round as dinner plates, turned up to stare at him in disbelief. 

_ Go away,  _ Prompto mouthed. His voice was muffled by the glass. Undeterred, Gladio whispered back, “It’s freezing out here.” Rubbing his hands over his bare arms for effect, he waited as a very jumpy, very red-cheeked Prompto flipped open the lock on the door, and proceeded to scoot all the way to the far side of the seat. 

Gladio climbed in next to him. The car always felt more cramped with the top up, and now, even with just the two of them, the lack of space was all too obvious. 

“Hey,” he started, breaking the silence between them. “Ignis said I might find you here.”

“Oh,” was all Prompto said in return. 

With a sigh, Gladio ran his fingers back through his hair. “You alright?” 

Another long pause. Prompto’s mouth tensed and untensed, his eyes glued to the floor as he searched for something to say. “....No. I…. Back there, you. You were awake.” 

Gladio nodded carefully. 

“Why….  _ Why didn’t you say something? _ ” Tears formed in Prompto’s eyes in the span of a single blink, a skill Gladio had only ever seen Iris pull off before. The blond kicked out with one socked foot to catch Gladio in the thigh, too weak to actually hurt but the sentiment was clear. “Why’d you let me say all that shit? If I’d known you were awake, I wouldn’t have…!” 

“Prom, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not! I hate this!” Again, he took to hugging his legs for comfort as his emotions left his shoulders trembling. “It’s so stupid, I’m so stupid and --” 

He had no idea what he was doing. Instinct took over, and he went with it.  _ Don’t cry, don’t look so sad _ . He snatched up Prompto’s wrist and used the momentum to close the distance between them.  _ Please don’t cry.  _ Gazed into those panicked, tearful blue eyes for the heartbeat it took to make up his mind. 

And then, before he could change it, he surged forward to shut Prompto up with his lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY SMOOCHED


	4. Almost Had It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio isn't sure what he's doing anymore. This is out of his hands, and all he can do is keep following where his heart chooses to lead. 
> 
> (Getting a little steamy this chapter, whew)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting this update! It was technically done last Friday, but then FF7r came out and...yeah. We're here now! 
> 
> Thanks for everyone leaving kudos and comments on this fic :D The support really means a lot to me, you're all so wonderful~

Hot breath. Even hotter lips, searing like fire against his own and drawing him in for more. His tongue swiped experimentally over unfamiliar teeth, dove deeper into the cavern of that eager mouth. Deeper, until he could taste and feel nothing but  _ Prompto _ .

In the span of a few thudding heartbeats, what had started out as an impulsive kiss had become...well. Something unstoppable. At least to Gladio, who was no longer thinking with his head, but instead moving purely on instinct. It was easier, in a way. This was more natural to him than words. This was more his style. 

“ _ Mmh...mm. _ ” Prompto’s entire body reverberated with the sound of his moans. Those, too, were quickly swallowed up, Gladio taking them as encouragement to keep going, to push this further. He ignored the way his lungs were starting to burn and deepened the kiss. Pushed Prompto backwards with it until his head hit the window and his legs fell open in the seat. Just wide enough, Gladio found, for his own body to slot in place between them, using his weight and heat to trap Prompto right where he wanted him. 

More moans, muffled and urgent, spilled into his mouth then. Slender fingers grappled for a hold in the front of his tank, twisting frantically in the fabric. Prompto’s whole body shuddered again as his voice grew a few octaves in pitch. “ _ M-mm!! _ ” 

He sounded so needy. So desperate. So...panicked?

The mechanics of Gladio’s brain finally kicked in. He broke the kiss, more out of alarm than realization, and paled as Prompto sucked in a series of shaky breaths. 

“...Shit. Prom. I-”

“ _ Oww… _ ” 

“Are you...okay? I didn’t mean to-”

“The fucking... _ door handle _ ,” he gasped, shifting his shoulders and wincing at the ache the hard metal had left behind. “Movies totally lied…. Cars are  _ not  _ good places to make out.” 

Gladio blinked. Then grinned. Then laughed away the tension as he dropped his head in the cramped space between them. “Dammit, Prom. You sure know how to kill a mood.” 

“ _ Sorryyy _ ,” he whined. “It just really hurt and I thought if I didn’t say anything soon you were never gonna notice and I was just gonna die like that and….” 

“It’s fine.” Running the back of his hand over his mouth, Gladio settled back into the bucket seat to let the air around him cool. In his veins, his blood was still pumping with adrenaline, with a tingling need that pooled in his groin and made itself hard to ignore. But he closed his eyes against it anyway, hoping maybe if he thought of the most  _ un _ sexy image he could….

“Um. Are you, uh, mad at me?” 

One bright, amber eye cracked open. “No? Why would I be?” 

“Oh, um.” Nervously combing his fingers through his bangs, focusing anywhere in the car but on Gladio, Prompto shrugged. “I mean, you stopped kissing me, so.”

For a long moment, Gladio could only stare at him. He took in the soft tint of color behind those familiar freckled cheeks. The sheen of his lips, still slick and darker red than usual, pinched between his teeth. The way his shoulders slumped, belying the energy Gladio knew all too well was jolting through him. His legs, still parted enough to make out the evidence of his body’s reaction in the dim light of the streetlamp overhead. 

And he swallowed the very inappropriate growl that had started to build in his throat. “Did you, uh. Wanna try again or something?” 

Shyly, a nod. 

“Hm. C’mere then. No more door handles this way,” he chuckled, though the sound was mostly air. Prompto carefully climbed toward him, shivered as Gladio helped pull him into his lap. “And you set the pace, yeah? You’re in charge.” 

Excitement swam in blue eyes as Prompto gazed down at him. His hair splayed out almost comically against the closed top of the car when he nodded, but Gladio could only smile at the sight. He really was cute like this. The perfect size and shape, too, settled in the span of his lap like he was made to fit there. Gladio took a moment to savor it, to run his hands up the lengths of Prompto’s thighs, over his hips, squeezing the soft flesh there and humming in deep appreciation.

“I’m gonna have to get you to myself like this more often, kid,” he grinned. Above him, Prompto grinned, too. 

The second kiss was far more controlled than their first. There was less passion, but in exchange Gladio found his walls coming down for Prompto in new and unexpected ways. Each peck of those pretty red lips stirred something in the depths of his chest. The gentle fingers framing his jaw held him fast, lifted him up and left him practically floating. His eyes fell closed and he hugged Prompto closer, focusing his senses on every touch and scent and sound because suddenly he could think of nothing else he wanted more. 

“Gladio….” 

“Hmm?” 

Another hum as he hooked his thumb through one of Prompto’s belt loops, teasingly dragging his pants down over half an inch of pale skin. 

The blond shivered. “I, um. R-really wish I could get a pic of this. ‘S so  _ hot _ .” 

“Heh. That photo thing’s a pretty creepy hobby, y’know.” 

“ _ Mm _ , yeah.” 

Gladio’s grin probably showed far too many teeth, but the mouth against them didn’t complain. The shield broke his promise just long enough to nip Prompto’s bottom lip between them, earning a particularly heady moan in response that traveled through him like molten lava. Worth it, in his humble opinion, as was the way Prompto chased his mouth again when he started to draw away. In answer, he squeezed hard around the dual mounds of ass he’d been cupping, and used the momentum to rock Prompto’s hips forward into his. 

“ _ O-ohmigod _ .” Voice tight, Prompto threw his arms around Gladio’s neck for balance as he was rocked bodily forward. “You’re s-so fucking strong, dude!” 

With the new angle, Gladio wasted no time in latching his mouth to the side of Prompto’s exposed neck. Soft, unmarked skin that tasted like sweat and anticipation. “Bet I could,  _ mm _ , lift you up easy, shrimp.”

“ _ Holyshit _ \--” 

“Grab you by the hips and….” He demonstrated for effect, using both his hands and his thighs to piston Prompto up once, twice. Setting a suggestive rhythm that was suddenly drawing a slew of curses from the blond’s trembling lips. 

“ _ Ah _ , G-Gla...dio…! F-fuuc-k!” 

“Maybe flip you over,” he growled, thrusting up to meet that sweet contact. “Shove my big d--”

“No! FUCK, as in ‘ _ Gladio, LOOK OUT! _ ’” 

Yeah. In hindsight, he probably should have noticed it a lot sooner, what with the bright red glowing of the flames and the heavy stomping of the thing’s massive feet on the asphalt behind him. But, well, in his defense, he’d been  _ really  _ fucking distracted. Prompto, on the other hand, had a front row seat to the sight of the Red Giant suddenly lurching towards their car. Gladio turned over his shoulder just in time to see it raise it’s blazing sword high into the air - but he was too slow to react. 

The sword came crashing down inches from the rear bumper. The Regalia lurched forward on its wheels, sending Prompto tumbling ass-first into the front seats as Gladio plunged his hand into the armiger. “Sunovabitch!” he yelled at the rear window. “Prom, call Noct!” 

Frantic shuffling as the blond righted himself. “I-I-I can’t! I musta dropped my phone!” 

“ _ Shit. _ ” Looked like they were going to have to fight this thing on their own, then.  _ Great _ . Just what he needed at a time like this. Fucking demons always picked the worst opportunities to ambush. 

“Hey, get your gun! We gotta draw it away from the car fast. I’ll tank it, you--”

“Headshots, make ‘em count. Got it!”

“Ready?”

Prompto, though breathing heavy (from the kiss or the impending fight), nodded once. “You bet.” 

Gladio lept out first, reaching for his broadsword as soon as his boots hit solid ground. He paused, adjusted the too-tight front of his pants, and shouted at the top of his lungs to catch the giant’s attention. “HEY, asshole! Get one scratch on that car and I’ll drag you back to hell myself!” 

A set of inky black eyes turned to him above the monster’s massive shoulders. Whether it had understood him or not, he’d at least managed to get its attention, which meant Prompto had enough of a window to sneak out of the other side of the car. Gladio watched his blond head disappear into the shadows before smirking darkly up at the giant. “That’s right. Over here, you stinking pile of demon shit. You picked a bad time to try and piss me off.” 

Bellowing, the giant took a lumbering step toward him. The red flames licking up the length of its sword were hot, even with the distance between them, and Gladio kept one eye focused on the blade. Another step, and another. He raised his own sword in challenge. “Come on, then!” 

The giant reared back to strike. Heat sliced through the cool air, a deadly arc of steel and fire swiping at the spot where Gladio had stood only seconds before. He got to his feet again out of range, brushed the dirt and grass from his hair, and switched to offense. 

With a loud yell and a clang of metal against metal, he parried the demon’s massive sword out of his way. It hadn’t been expecting such force from so small an enemy - the momentum left it unbalanced, gurgling with hate, as Gladio closed in for a strike. His blade bit into thick, red flesh just above the giant’s ankle. There was a horrible cry from above, and dark blood gushed from the wound. 

“Nice one!” Gladio heard from nearby. He turned in time to see Prompto race past, two gun barrels locked on his target and firing with rapid precision. Three shots hit the giant in the neck. Four more in its skull, lodging in rock-like bone to drive the demon raging mad. It roared again, swinging its heavy blade wildly as it tried in vain to shake them loose. 

“Stay outta range!” 

“I’m trying!” Prompto shouted back. He ducked out of the way of the flames, and rolled another few feet across the grass. “I’m gonna hit it from behind!” 

“ _ Heh. _ That’s my line!” In the dark, he flashed Prompto a grin he  _ almost _ regretted - simply because it sent the kid tripping over himself in a flash of pink. Then he was gone again, scrambling into the shadows on the other side of the demon. Leaving Gladio the sole target for its renewed rage. 

“You see, this is what you get,” he said aloud, catching the giant’s full attention again with a cocky twirl of his broadsword. “We all coulda had a  _ real  _ good night if you hadn’t shown up, y’know that? Do you have  _ any  _ idea how hot the ass on that kid is? Do you realize how close I was to getting a piece of it?” 

He smirked, catching the giant’s sword with a well-timed block. His muscles protested, but he stared into the flames inching nearer to his face and his grin grew feral. “ _ This  _ is for cockblocking me.”

It took every ounce of power he had to push the thing off of him. Embers sparked and flew in every direction as it flailed back, arms circling comically for balance, until its combined weight and size tipped it onto its back. The ground shuddered beneath it, and the roat that followed rumbled in the very air. But Gladio didn’t let either slow him down. He was back on the thing the second it hit, hacking away at its sword hand to disarm it fast. 

At the same time, he saw Prompto moving on the edge of the shadows. One impressive leap up onto the giant’s chest, then he was firing away point black into blackened eyes. Six shots rang out. The demon twitched, grunted, and fell still. 

Gladio yanked his sword out of the thing’s wrist before climbing up behind the blond. 

“Hey, you alright?” 

“Y-yeah. Sorry. Thanks.” He didn’t miss the way Prompto turned away from the giant’s face, or how his hand trembled as he sent his guns back into the armiger. “I’m fine. Nice tanking there, big guy.” 

“Nice aim, birdboy. Even the Marshal’d be impressed with those moves.” 

“Yeah?  _ Eheh _ .” Prompto relaxed as Gladio’s arm wound around his shoulders, and he hummed a little in the warmth of the embrace. “The guys are never gonna believe we took this thing out by ourselves.” 

Nodding, Gladio guided them both off the demon’s corpse before it could dissolve into black goop and purple smoke. “And we can’t even get a picture. Real shame.” 

“Mm.” Prompto fell silent for a moment, giving his hands a chance to stop shaking. “Did you mean what you said? About my ass? You really like it?”

“Yep.” 

“And, um. What you were saying before, in the car….” 

Gladio turned with a smirk to pull Prompto against his chest instead. “About getting you under me and fucking you through through the floor?” 

Blue eyes blinked owlishly in the dark. “U-uh, y-yeah. That. Um. I mean, I guess you already figured me out, but…. I, um. I want that, too.” 

“I got that impression, yeah.” 

“So, um. If you want, we could….” Though he trailed off, the way he glanced back at the Regalia, still in one piece and tempting under the streetlight, made it clear what he was offering. And Gladio would be lying if he said he didn’t consider it. After all, his blood was still racing with adrenalin, both from the fight and from the taste of Prompto lingering on his tongue. Just the mere thought of getting his hands on that ass again - and, hopefully, a lot more - had his cock aching for at least the third time that night. 

And yet, looking around at the dark lines of scorched grass and trampled ground where their battle had just finished, he knew, too, that now wasn’t exactly the time. Add that to the sweet, almost shy way Prompto was gazing up at him, and he didn’t have it in his heart to ruin the moment. 

So, instead, he did the other best thing he could think of. 

He leaned down to kiss Prompto on his perfect lips. 

“Not tonight,” he said into the eager cavern of that mouth. “Let’s head back. We’ve got time to figure this out. And, uh.” 

At the pause, he felt Prompto’s fingers splay out across his chest. Hopeful, excited. “Yeah?”

“I was gonna ask you to dinner tomorrow night, if you want. Just us. Like a date.” 

“A...date?” 

“If you want.” 

Prompto swallowed. His eyes searched Gladio’s face, settling at last on meeting his gaze as he answered. “Sure. I mean, definitely! That’d be awesome.” Then, after a half-second of hesitation. “A-and maybe afterwards we could do that other thing you said.”

“...Fuck through the floor?”

“Mmhm. That.” 

“You just read my mind, kid.” 

A startled yelp turned to bubbling laughter as Gladio locked his arms under Prompto’s body - his knees and lower back - and lifted him right up off the ground. The blond grabbed onto his neck and refused to let go. “What are you  _ doing?” _ he giggled against the short hairs at Gladio’s temple. 

“Carrying you, what does it look like?” 

“But  _ why _ ?”

He shifted his balance. Hugged Prompto tight against him, and chuckled at the way soft breaths tickled the rim of his ear. “Because I wanted to. I guess I’m just following my heart these days.” 

He didn’t miss the way Prompto’s eyes fluttered with surprise - and maybe something more - in the dark.

**Author's Note:**

> Help keep us all entertained during these hard times by requesting some drabbles over on my Twitter! @ Lhugy2


End file.
